A War Of Hearts
by LiliacSkies
Summary: {SEQUEL TO 'Through The Cracks'} Five years later, Mal returns to Auradon under worrying circumstances to find that everything has changed. With new enemies to face and new adventures to undertake, will Mal also be able to win Ben's heart back? Will she be able to save her old friends?
1. Chapter 1

Running. Running is what made Mal happy.

She'd been gone from Auradon for nearly five years, and she'd definetly grown to be a beautiful woman. As she escaped the dense forest and emerged on the cliff edge, the morning lights caught in her eyes, making the green glimmer like two stars. Her hair had grown down to her hips in luscious purple curls, matted from running through the forest. The freckles on her face remained the same, giving her a youthful appearance, highlighted by the euphoric smile on her face.

She felt alive. Truly and utterly alive, with the wind blowing through her hair and the light from the sunrise hitting her skin. She felt utterly in control, and most importantly, free.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Well, somewhat free.

She looked behind her back to see glimpses of the familiar royal blue uniforms between the branches, an alarming sign of the royal guards of the realm finally catching up to her. She turned to look at the cliff drop, knowing she wouldn't be able to survive if she jumped down. So, with a mischievous smirk etched onto her face and most of her face obscured by a black eye mask, she waved her hand and caused wings to sprout out of her back, a matching pair of black horns growing out of her head.

"Later boys," she teased as the guards appeared out of the woods. She spread her wings, the gush of air knocking them backwards, before she took off over the cliff and into the sunset.

 _Now_ she was free. Sure, she may have caused a little trouble here and there, but she'd finally corrected all the wrongs her mother had made. She made a good balance of friends and enemies along the way, but thankfully, mostly friends. In fact, she could see them below her in the forest, signaling for her to descend. So, with a victorious smile, Mal sunk back onto the ground, her friends instantly surrounding her.

"That was so cool!"

"Can you teach me to do that?!"

"Are you okay?!"

Mal looked around the clearing, dozens of wide-eyed animals meeting her gaze. Yes, Mal made friends with animals, deers and birds predominantly. She stood up straight as her horns and wings vanished, smoothing down her clothes before grinning.

"Its official," Mal began, "The Sleeping Curse has been broken forever. No one will ever fall under it again."

The forest roared with cheers, birds flying around happing and deers stamping their horns in celebration. Before she knew it, Mal had been lifted onto the back of a wolf in celebration, her happy laughter echoing throughout the forest.

She felt at home. Truly and utterly at home.

In all reality, she was miles away from Auradon and the Isle of The Lost, the only two places she'd ever lived in. However, as she made her way back to her hidden cottage in the forest, she couldn't help but feel the warmth and familiarity of the cottage hugging her, welcoming her back. She wasn't leaving any time soon, that was certain.

She stepped into the wooden cottage, closing the door behind her and hanging up her cloak. She removed the black eye mask and placed it on the kitchen counted, pulling her boots off and putting them next to the fireplace. Everything about her house was cosy and inviting, from the fluffy rugs to the flowers planted on her windowsill. She'd made a life for herself, a somewhat lonely life, but a happy life regardless.

That is, until a knock sounded on the door the next morning.

Mal had a tendency of not having any visitors at all, so it was a shocker when the sound echoed into the kitchen. She picked up her mug of tea and walked cautiously to the door, opening it slowly.

On the other side stood a scrawny looking guard with an Auradon emblem on his chest, short and probably one of the descendants of a dwarf. He held out a parchment in his shaking hands and read out from it slowly.

"M-Mal, d-daughter of M-Maleficent?" he stuttered, to which Mal nodded, "Y-You have b-been asked to report b-back to t-the city. Y-Your mother is very ill."

And that's when Mal's heart stopped, the mug of tea falling from her fingers and smashing against the floor. Little did she know that those few words would be the start of a new adventure back into the past.

* * *

King Ben was one of the best kings the kingdom had ever seen.

He was young and still had a lot to learn, yet he lead the kingdom with a warm and open heart. His smile dazzled thousands of women and men, and his parents couldn't be prouder. He had the perfect life, with the perfect friends and the perfect girlfriend.

Yes. _Girlfriend_.

Cuore was a princess in a kingdom far away from Auradon, however moved to Auradon to study her final year of high school. Doing so, she met Ben, and they soon announced their relationship. They were the picture perfect couple, with Cuores silky brown hair and deep blue eyes, matched with Ben's charming smile and brilliant mind. They were perfect on the outside, however, Ben didn't quite feel perfect with her.

It took him a while to get over Mal, and to this day he still wonders what happened to her, but his friends insisted for him to move on, and so he did. Cuore was the poster girl for a princess, only comparable to Audrey in that category, and with her tanned complexion contrasting the gorgeous pink gowns she wore, how could his parents dislike her?

At first his mother had been adamant. She'd confessed to her husband that something was 'off' about the girl, that she lacked the spirit that Mal had, however her husband had convinced her that it was better to keep Ben grounded to his goals. So, she kept her mouth shut, however constantly looked out for her son.

However, as much as his dad pushed him, Ben could not find it in himself to propose.

Sure, he could do fancy candle-lit dinners and long walks on the beach, but for some reason he couldn't take the last step. There was something holding him back, stopping him from taking his grandmothers ring out of the family safe and putting it on Cuore's finger.

Consumed by these thoughts, Ben did not hear the knock on his study door, and only broke out of his trance when the door opened to reveal Jay, his good friend and co-captain of the royal guards, walk into the room.

"Ben? Hellloo? Earth to Ben?" Jay asked, smirking as he closed the door.

"Sorry, I was distracted," Ben explained as he motioned to the paperwork on his desk, "What's up?"

"It's uh, not good," Jay began hesitantly, "We just received news from the isle of the lost. Maleficent is dying. They've set out to look for Mal a few hours ago."

* * *

 _ **A/N: SEQUEL!**_

 _ **So yeah, a lot has changed huh? Things are definetly going to get interesting soon, especially with Maleficent at her death bed. As always, please feel free to leave any comments and suggestions in the reviews, and thank you for reading!**_

 _ **Until next time!**_


	2. Chapter 2

Mal didn't like cities, and she didn't like the fact that this guard had decided to drag her through one to allow her to see her mother.

In all honesty, Mal was worried sick for her mother. She may not exactly be a child-friendly woman, but she was still the woman who raised her. So, with lightning speed, she was out of the house and on her way to see her mother for potentially the last time.

In honour of her mother's old dark deeds, Mal wore a long black velvet cloak with the hood pulled over her head, resembling a dark Red Riding Hood. She was thankful for this choice in attire as she weaved through the crowd of people in the city, dodging running children and meddling salesmen. Mal really wasn't a people person.

"We moved her to the Auradon Prisons as she isn't seen as a threat anymore," the guard explained as they neared their destination.

The Auradon Prisons were built underground underneath a large mountain, right on the outskirts of the larger city. It was maximum security, of course, and had been generously gifted with magical handcuffs that made sure the user couldn't use magic when wearing them. Of course, the prisons were rarely used after the Isle was built, yet today the building was filled with guards, making sure one person couldn't leave.

Maleficent.

As Mal walked through the rusted black gates of the prison, she was immediately escorted through various twists and turns until they reached a dimly lit cave, with cells lining the walls. Only Maleficent was there, her cell surrounded by guards, and Mal could barely contain her gasp of shock upon seeing her mother.

She was handcuffed to a hospital bed in the cell, looking weaker than Mal had ever seen. It looked like she'd aged forty years, not five, and as soon as the cell door open, Mal launched herself into the small room.

"You have ten minutes," a large guard from outside called.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Mal rushed to Maleficent's side. Her mother's pale and fragile face was enough to knock the air out of her lungs, but when Maleficent smiled at her, she knew something was really wrong.

"Mal honey, it's been so long," Maleficent began, wheezing and coughing as she sat up, "How have you been?"

"What happened to you?" Mal demanded, "Why are you-"

"Dying?" Maleficent interrupted, a sad smile on her face, "I guess that after years of feeling nothing, my heart decided to start slowing down."

"You're not going to die," Mal replied stubbornly, "I won't let you. We can-"

"Mal, listen," Maleficent interrupted once again, "I know I haven't been the mother you deserved, but look at yourself. You chose your own path, and you've found love, something I never managed to do."

"I didn't find love?" Mal replied in confusion.

Maleficent frowned, "Then how on earth did you wake up from the Sleeping Curse?"

"I got myself and everyone else out on my own," Mal explained, "I've spent the last five years searching Auradon for all the cursed needles and destroying them all and-"

"You broke a curse?!" Maleficent exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Um, yes?" Mal replied slowly.

Maleficent paused for a minute, laughing slightly to herself before continuing, "You really have something special Mal. I'm surprised you haven't ended up on the Isle again."

Mal furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"The Isle of The Lost isn't just home to villains anymore," Maleficent explained, "In fact, only a few years ago, a girl who could bend fire got sent to live there. She never broke any laws either. Auradon is corrupt Mal."

"Which is why I live in the forest now," Mal smiled. It was weird, being so comfortable with a woman who'd basically controlled her thoughts and feelings not too long ago, but it was her mother, and she couldn't change that.

"Well, I guess I should probably tell you a few things in that case," Maleficent began, "When I put you under the Sleeping Curse, I knew I was going to be sent back to the Isle eventually. So, I decided that if I couldn't spread evil in Auradon, someone else had to. Your friends, specifically Evie, Jay and Carlos, were vulnerable. _Deliciously_ vulnerable. So I cast a curse on each of them, a curse they don't know exists to this day."

"W-What do you mean?" Mal stuttered, "What did you do to them?"

"I made sure they could never have what they wished for," Maleficent smirked, the evil glint in her eye returning even through the sickness, "I made sure that if they were to kiss someone they loved, the person they'd kiss would die instantly."

Mal felt the world stop around her. She knew what her mother had planned. She wanted them all to kill someone, so they'd be sent back on the Isle, or worse, so they'd turn evil once more. She hadn't heard of anyones death in the kingdom caused by them for a while, so she still had time.

Time to save them.

"How do I stop the curses?" Mal demanded.

"The only way to remove the curses is through an act of sacrifice, something that can counteract the darkness of the curse," Maleficent explained, "But in all honesty, I don't think that's going to happen."

Mal bit her lip, taking a deep breath before looking into her mother's eyes, "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well," Maleficent began hesitantly, "I don't think this is necessarily important, but a few years ago a monster managed to escape from the Isle through the sewage system. Thought you might want to look out for that."

"Gross..." Mal mumbled, cringing as she heard the guard knocking on the cell bars.

"Two minutes left!" he called, Mal's eyes widening as she looked at her mother.

"I'll be fine," Maleficent smiled weakly, "You're the new Maleficent now. You've earned the name."

"Don't," Mal interrupted, "You're going to live. I know it."

"Not everyone has a happy ending, but please don't let me be the reason you don't get yours," Maleficent replied, coughing as the guard walked in, "I may not have always shown it, but I love you Mal."

Mal couldn't bring herself to say the three words as the guard grabbed her shoulder, leading her out of the cell. She felt dead, walking through the building and into the sunlight without thinking. She kept walking, keeping her mind blank as she ducked into the first alleyway she found, collapsing against the wall.

In the darkness of the alley, she finally let herself feel. She let herself feel emotions for her mother, for what was happening to her life. And for the first time in years, she let herself cry.

* * *

 _ **A/N: VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!**_

 _ **So I'm away for a festival from Friday the 15th of July until Monday the 18th of July (my birthday), so please don't expect any updates between those two dates. However, to make up for the lack of updates I will be trying to update as much as I can before and after the festival. I apologise for the slow updates as I've been finding it hard to piece all the story together, however I will be trying my hardest to have a good rotation between my stories to update them.**_

 _ **Having said this, I promise to never leave a story unfinished. Even if at one point I don't update for months, I promise to finish all stories I start on this account.**_

 ** _As always, please feel free to leave any comments and suggestions in the reviews, they really help me with bringing this story along. Thank you for reading and until next time ;)_**


	3. Chapter 3

Mal didn't expect to find herself in Auradon ever again, and she definetly didn't expect to find herself in a dress shop browsing gowns to pass the time.

She needed to think, and what better way than to surround herself with things she found less than distracting? She didn't care for clothes, so the seas of fabric around her barely caught her eye. It was the perfect way to empty her mind and focus.

She had to somehow break her mother's curse, and she was set on doing it alone. Her old friends didn't have to know about it, and she was definetly not going to tell them about it either. She was going to sort it out for herself, without involving-

"Hello! Can I help you?"

Anyone.

Mal would've recognised that voice anywhere.

It was the bubbly tone that Mal didn't recognise in Evie's voice. She'd always had a calming voice, a voice people could be lulled to sleep with, but never had it sounded so joyful and so... Happy. Mal didn't have the heart to ruin happiness anymore, so she lowered her voice and hesitantly replied, keeping her back to her old friend.

"No, no I'm fine," she coughed raspily, "Just looking around."

"Alright, but feel free to call me if you need anything!" Evie replied in her bubbly voice.

Mal didn't dare move until Evie's footsteps had faded away. She had to get out of there, and fast.

However, she couldn't help but take a peek at how Evie looked after all those years. Mal turned around slowly, ducking behind a rail of dresses to look at Evie. She was as beautiful as she'd always been, maybe even more, with her hair in long blue ringlets and her dress adorned with silver flowers. She was the poster girl for a princess, however something told Mal that it wasn't her destiny to become one.

Looking around, Mal realised her mistake. She'd stumbled upon Evie's dress shop, clear from the multiple logos around the store, and as soon as Evie turned away again, Mal rushed through the door.

She made it out of the store and down the street faster than she'd thought possible, making her way around the town looking for something to do. Mal kept her thoughts far away from her near-encounter, making her way to the library as soon as she spotted the old rusted sign.

The library was empty by the time she entered the building, the sun setting through the tall glass windows. When she first set off to find her mother, she didn't plan on staying long, therefore she hadn't planned out where she'd stay. However, she soon spotted a leather couch with a blanket on it near the back of the library, and figured it would be better than nothing.

And so, Mal lay down on the couch, her mind swarmed with thoughts about the past twenty four hours. Her mother was dying, that was obvious, and that meant that she didn't have long to figure out how to save her and her old friends. So, as the sun finally set and night fell over Auradon, Mal got up and began searching the library for books, or something to help her.

Little did she know that on the other side of the town, news about her was rising. Evie hurried down the cobble streets, a tablet clutched against her chest as her heels clicked against the pavement. She'd perfected the art of running in heels, just to prevent a cinderella disaster from happening. As she reached the familiar view of the castle, she was greeted by Jay at the gates, allowing her to walk into the royal gardens.

"I didn't realise who it was at first, but when I saw them hurry out of the shop I thought they were shoplifting, so I checked the security camera footage," Evie explained in a rush, "It was her. Mal is back."

"Evie, are you one hundred percent sure of this?" Jay asked hesitantly.

"See it for yourself," Evie replied, putting the tablet in Jay's hands and starting the video. Evie was right, it was Mal.

"Carlos is waiting for us inside," Jay said as he handed the tablet back, the two friends walking up the steps of the palace and into the grand foyer, guarded by two royal guards in dark blue uniforms.

At the sight of Jay, the two guards parted to let the two friends inside. Although Jay had grown used to the palace life, Evie was still taken aback by the sheer beauty of it all. It seemed that she was the only one to still remember the slums of the Isle, and sometimes she still wondered if it was still like that.

"We can use the first floor study, no one goes there," Jay explained as Carlos approached them, the three eventually making their way to said room.

The first floor study was mostly used as a recreation room for the guards and staff in the palace. Carlos had spent the last few years training the palace dogs, therefore leaving Evie as the only one unfamiliar to the palace. Of course, she'd delivered a few gowns for Cuore before, but she'd eventually learned that the overbearing palace life wasn't for her, and she was much happier behind a sewing machine.

"So, what did you find?" Carlos asked, sitting on the ledge of the table in the middle of the room, crossing his legs together. More often than not, he still resembled the skittish sixteen year old he once was.

"Well, we have video footage to prove that Mal was in my store," Evie explained, handing the tablet over to Carlos, "She's back, but we can't figure out why."

"Has something big happened in Auradon recently?" Carlos asked, "Like a runaway robber or something?"

"The only noteworthy thing around here recently has been Ben and Cuore," Evie explained with an eye roll, her eyes going wide in realisation, "You guys don't think she's back for Ben do you?"

"Unlikely," Jay replied as he leant against the table, "She made it pretty clear that she was done with Ben last time we saw her."

"Feelings can change," Evie pointed out.

"I doubt it, it's Mal we're talking about," Jay argued, "The only solution I can see is to inform the other guards to keep an eye out for her."

"We can't put her on the wanted list," Carlos argued, "As far as we know she's only passing through town. Nothing's happened yet, so I don't see why we're getting so-"

The trio were interrupted by someone opening the door to the study. They turned around to find Ben, with tired eyes and in his pajamas, looking around in confusion.

"This isn't the kitchen?" he yawned, Evie stifling her giggles before he could hear her.

"Nope, but I'm guessing you just woke up," Carlos laughed, his dimples making him look years younger than he really was.

"Had a nap," Ben explained tiredly, "I should probably go back to bed though."

"I'll take you," Jay offered, leading Ben out of the room, "Evie and Carlos, I'll talk to you later."

"You better," Evie grumbled as she crossed her arms, "The King isn't the only one who needs his beauty sleep."

And so, the trio spent the rest of their night looking for clues about Mal in the footage, coming up blank and therefore resulting in them falling asleep on the desks in the room. Mal didn't have much luck either, ending up also falling asleep in an unfamiliar room. However, all four of the former villains woke up to four chimes from the church bell tower not too far from the palace. Evie and Jay looked at each other in worry, knowing exactly what the four chimes meant.

The chimes meant that someone in Auradon had died.


End file.
